Operation Summer Breeze

Operation Summer Breeze (2007) was a military operation carried out by the US Marine Corps during the Iraq War. The insurgents went on an offensive trying to expel the marines from their capital city, while the USMC fought just as hard to secure the area and topple the Saddam Hussein statue in a nearby insurgent-occupied neighborhood.

History
The Islamic Army in Iraq occupied a neighborhood of Baghdad where a Saddam Hussein statue was located, trying to protect their pan-Arab nationalist leader's symbol of power from the United States. The IAI then proceeded to launch their own offensive against the Americans to drive them out of Baghdad and reclaim Iraq for the Iraqi insurgents. The US Marine Corps launched "Operation Summer Breeze" to topple the statue, dividing Baghdad between the Americans and terrorists.

The Marines fought the insurgents in heavy combat, ranging from gunfights inside apartment buildings to fighting near the gas station. The gas station changed hands repeatedly, but the Marines eventually secured it and proceeded to push into the insurgent neighborhood. They captured the mosque not far from Saddam Square, and after peacefully occupying it, they assaulted Saddam Square. Eagle-eyed Marine soldiers fired on Iraqi insurgents in the square from a nearby building, and they moved in to secure the square, pushing the insurgents out. The operation was a success for the Americans.